SaaS Development Cost Calculator
Estimate the build cost, indicative monthly cloud hosting and timeline for a SaaS product from its stage, tenancy model, modules, compliance needs and team location. Every multiplier is published below so you can check the maths.
Estimate your SaaS product
How we calculate
The build estimate is hour-based. We add up engineering hours for the product core, tenancy, modules, roles and infrastructure. Then we apply uplifts for compliance, design, and QA with project management. The point estimate becomes a ±12% hours range, and we multiply the low hours by the low hourly rate and the high hours by the high rate.
| Input | Value used |
|---|---|
| Core product hours (onboarding, core workflows, settings, UI) | MVP 180 · v1 450 · Scale 1,000 |
| Tenancy model | Shared database +60 · Schema per tenant +140 · Database per tenant +220 · Single-tenant deployments +120 |
| Module hours (before depth factor) | Auth & roles 60 · Billing 100 · Admin console 120 · Reporting 130 · Integrations/API 180 · Audit logs 70 · SSO 90 · AI features 200 |
| Stage depth factor on modules | MVP 0.8 · v1 1.0 · Scale 1.3 |
| Each user role beyond two | +16 hours |
| Infrastructure, CI/CD and environments | MVP 40 · v1 120 · Scale 260 |
| Compliance | GDPR +8% and +60 hrs · HIPAA +18% and +160 hrs · SOC 2-ready +15% and +140 hrs |
| Design uplift / QA and project management | +12% / +18% |
| Hourly rates | Offshore $40–$70 · US/UK $120–$180 |
| Team capacity per week | MVP 75 hrs · v1 120 hrs · Scale 180 hrs, plus 2–3 weeks of discovery and launch |
With the defaults (MVP, shared database, auth and billing, two roles, offshore team) the estimate lands close to the site-wide MVP band of $15k–$40k. A typical v1 with admin, reporting, audit logs and GDPR work sits in the $40k–$120k growth band. Scale-stage products with SSO, a public API and SOC 2-ready controls move into enterprise territory ($120k+). Our SaaS development cost guide walks through these bands in more detail.
Why tenancy matters so much
A shared database with a tenant ID on every row is the cheapest option to build and run, but it needs strict row-level security and tests that prove one tenant can never read another's data. Schema-per-tenant and database-per-tenant designs give stronger isolation but add migration tooling, connection management and more infrastructure. We cover the trade-offs, with PostgreSQL examples, in multi-tenant SaaS data isolation in Postgres.
How the hosting range works
Hosting = stage base × tenancy factor × compliance factor + an AI usage allowance if you select AI features.
- Stage base per month: MVP $80–$300 · v1 $300–$1,200 · Scale $1,500–$8,000.
- Tenancy factor: shared 1.0 · schema per tenant 1.1 · database per tenant 1.4 · single-tenant deployments 2.0 (for a handful of customers; this grows with each new deployment).
- Compliance factor: GDPR 1.05 · HIPAA 1.3 · SOC 2-ready 1.2, covering extra logging, backups, encryption key management and security tooling.
- AI features allowance: MVP $50–$400 · v1 $200–$1,500 · Scale $1,000–$6,000 of model and vector database usage.
These figures assume a managed cloud setup (containers or serverless compute, managed PostgreSQL, object storage, CDN) sized for the stage. They are planning numbers, not a provider quote. For how a high-traffic setup is structured, see our AWS reference architecture for high-traffic SaaS.
Assumptions and exclusions
- Standard building blocks. Billing assumes an established payment provider, and SSO assumes a standard identity library or service rather than a custom identity provider.
- SOC 2-ready is not SOC 2 certified. The uplift covers engineering controls, logging and evidence collection. Auditor fees, policies and compliance platform subscriptions are extra.
- Excluded: marketing site, data migration from an existing product, third-party SaaS subscriptions, penetration testing, and ongoing product development after launch.
Before comparing vendor quotes, run through our SaaS architecture checklist so every proposal covers the same tenancy, security and scaling decisions. When the scope is clear, our SaaS application development team can turn this range into a fixed proposal.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a SaaS MVP?
With an offshore team and a focused scope (sign-up, core workflow, roles and billing), a SaaS MVP typically lands around $15k–$45k. Adding admin consoles, reporting, integrations or compliance work moves it towards the $40k–$120k growth band.
Which tenancy model should I choose?
Most new SaaS products start with a shared database and strict row-level isolation, because it is the cheapest to build and run. Schema-per-tenant or database-per-tenant designs make sense when customers need stronger isolation, data residency or per-tenant backups.
Does SOC 2-ready mean my product will be SOC 2 certified?
No. SOC 2-ready means the product is built with the access controls, logging, change management and evidence that an audit needs. The audit itself, auditor fees and policy work are separate.
How reliable is the hosting estimate?
It is a planning range for a managed cloud setup sized for the stage you choose. Actual bills depend on traffic, data volume, provider, reserved capacity and architecture, so treat it as a sanity check rather than a forecast.
Turn this range into a fixed quote
Copy your estimate and send it with your module list. We will review tenancy, compliance and scope, then come back with a fixed-price proposal.
Get a fixed quote